Just Wait
by CrazyBeaver
Summary: Sometimes all you can do in a situation is just wait for help. One of the team is severely injured as they are trapped in a closed building. Will Ethan be fast enough to save them? One-shot.


_A/N: Okay, this was just a dream I had a while ago and the images just stayed in my mind and wouldn't leave, so I had to write it. Please don't kill me…_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Mission: Impossible.__  
_

**Just Wait**

They had been through all kinds of hell together. All of their missions were seemingly impossible, however there were some that proved to be relatively easy. This wasn't one of them.

Despite the difficulties, the mission was at its final stage. Brandt, Benji and Jane were in a small room while Ethan was supposed to be dealing with Evans, the guy who ran this place, a slave trader the local authorities couldn't be bothered to deal with. Benji was on the computer, typing something neither of his teammates could even begin to understand as the two of them were looking around cautiously, guarding the entrances. What they hadn't foreseen was that Evans had his forces with him.

Within seconds the place exploded with light and sound as dozens of armed men attacked from outside the room. The three agents gathered in the centre, hoping for the control panel to guard them from the rain of bullets. They kept close to each other, crouching close to the floor and trying to figure out what to do next. They had to act and had to do it fast. Suddenly there was movement among them and before either Brandt or Jane could even exchange a glance, Benji was standing up, typing on the highest speed they had ever seen.

"What are you doing?" was the question they both had on their minds. They probably asked it but they were not sure, as the gunfire was much louder than any of their voices. The doors suddenly closed and the amounts of noise reduced considerably, as most of the attackers got blocked from them.

Jane and Brandt both bolted to the sides, just in time to catch their attackers in the head and the neck. The sound of gunshots, however, didn't end. Jane moved a few steps forward carefully, checking the corners of her side of the room. Brandt turned to the other side, only to see a man aiming at him. Before either of them could pull the trigger, there was another loud bang and the goon fell down. Both William and Jane jumped and whipped their heads towards the source of the noise to see Benji standing there with his still smoking gun in his hand.

"Just like Mumbai, huh?" the analyst wanted to say as a smile began to grow on his face. However, as his gaze fell onto the technician completely, his heart sank. Benji was now shaking and his eyes were shut tightly. His shirt had a red spot on it which was growing in size horrifyingly fast.

Stunned in terror, Jane and Brandt could only watch as Benji desperately gripped the edge of the desk of the control panel, trying to lean on it, but his strength was leaving him too fast. He merely managed to slow down his fall but still landed on the floor with a thud. The sound made the other two agents come to their senses and rush to their colleague's side.

"Oh God… Benji!" they muttered, trying to put the technician into a more comfortable position and check on the wound at the same time.

"Stay with us," Brandt struggled to keep his voice still but it was shaking anyway.

"It hurts," Benji breathed out. His upper body was lying on Jane's lap and his watery eyes were flicking between the two agents. There already was a pool of blood under him and it was growing bigger every second as the liquid left the gaping wound in his stomach, soaking through his shirt and streaming down to the floor.

"I know it does, Benji, you've just got to stay with us, ok?" Jane's face was wet with tears but she tried to ignore them.

"Just hold on," Brandt added and the Brit nodded despite still shaking with gasps for breath.

Jane lifted her friend's shirt and gasped at the sight of the wound. She looked up and met the analyst's gaze, which she knew was just as terrified as her own. The wound looked just sickening. They weren't doctors but they knew that their friend needed to get to a hospital as fast as possible.

Brandt stood up and jogged to the doors. He knew he couldn't open them and was merely met with the confirmation of that knowledge. He then rushed to the control panel. If Benji had somehow managed to block the doors through it then maybe they could be unblocked the same way… But the panel looked broken beyond repair, having been hit with dozens of bullets. It was a miracle it had worked when Benji had used it previously. And even if it had worked, there was no guarantee that Evans' army wasn't there waiting for them.

"No, no, no," he heard Jane's voice behind him, authoritative and demanding. "Don't you close your eyes, you hear me?"

"I'm sorry," Brandt could barely hear the response. "It just hurts too much…"

The analyst finally dared to turn his head in his teammates' direction, only to see the most lost expression he had ever seen in Jane's face. Hearing Benji's voice hurt him almost physically. How can the severely wounded people in movies have some meaningful conversations and deliver clever speeches? In reality it was just that. Complaining about pain, possibly panicking or going into shock. Brandt was amazed Benji could still make sense at all. He felt something squeeze his throat and threw his fist at the door in pure frustration.

"We'll have to wait for Ethan," Jane tried to reason. _If Ethan comes at all, that is._ "While we're here, we're safe".

"_Safe_?" Brandt finally turned to face her for longer than a few seconds. "Well, yes, we are safe. But what about Benji? If he doesn't get help _soon_, he'll…" he trailed off, unable to say the dreaded word.

"… die?" Benji's voice was weaker than before and yet it seemed somehow calmer, if not for the gasps which interrupted him after every word. "Is it what you wanted to say?"

Brandt had no idea how to respond to that. He walked up to his teammates and sat opposite from Jane. He looked at Benji who was now pale as a sheet, panting and shaking as breathing seemed to become more and more exhausting to him. His face was a mask of pure agony and it was painful just to look at it. Suddenly he noticed the Brit wince.

"What is it?" Jane seemed to have noticed it, too.

"It doesn't… doesn't hurt anymore," his blue eyes seemed to be searching around the room as it became difficult to make out his friends' shapes. His breathing seemed even more labored and painful than a few minutes before. He looked so lost and frightened that he reminded them of a small child. Yes, he looked scared. Both of his friends shared this feeling. Brandt felt his face crumple as he and Jane took the technician's hands into theirs.

Brandt shut his eyes, unable to take in the reality of what was happening. He kept holding the hand until he felt that it had stopped squeezing his. His stomach dropped at the realization. He felt something inside him break into pieces and his heart seemed to have stopped beating. Just as he was about to open his eyes, he heard the doors slide open and some people rushed in. Ethan was finally there…


End file.
